22 must-follow Rio Olympians on Twitter
The Rio de Janeiro Olympics are set to bring together top athletes from across the globe, all competing for medals and for country. As you get set to follow all the action from Brazil, be sure to follow these athletes on Twitter to get an inside look into life as an Olympian.
Who: The Oregon wide receiver and 110m hurdler dominated over the rest of the field at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene and hopes to do more of the same in Brazil.
Follow for: Only 21 years old, Allen frequently posts about his Olympic journey and his love of video games.
Featured tweet:
Can anyone tell me if there are TV's in the Olympic village? Trying to figure out if I should bring my xbox or not ????
— Devon Allen (@DevonAllen13) July 29, 2016
Who: If you’re not familiar with Biles, you will be soon. The 19-year-old U.S. gymnast is a heavy favorite to win all-around gold in Rio.
Follow for: Biles puts her bubbly personality on full display on Twitter and documents her exploits with the rest of Team USA’s gold-medal hopefuls.
Featured tweet:
| Team USA |
{ s q u a d g o a l s } pic.twitter.com/P1Hnt2vcno— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) July 31, 2016
Who: All eyes will be on the fastest man on the planet in Rio as he looks to defend his titles in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
Follow for: Bolt uses social media to give unique insights into his training and his motivations.
Featured tweet:
I would be lying if i said I dreamt about moments like these.. My young fan watch my mini cartoon on TV #blessed pic.twitter.com/ysC5NaBmvl
— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) July 19, 2016
Who: The 800m runner is one of Team USA’s most popular track stars and is looking for a podium spot in his second Olympics.
Follow for: Centrowitz may be serious on the track, but on Twitter, he lets his fun-loving personality shine through. He loves to interact with his nearly 30,000 followers.
Featured tweet:
Waitress asked me for my # tonight ???????? Confidence levels ???? at an all-time #humblebrag
— Matthew Centrowitz (@MattCentrowitz) July 26, 2016
DeMarcus Cousins
Who: The Sacramento Kings center is one of the youngest and most social-media savvy stars on Team USA’s gold-medal destined squad.
Follow for: Cousins’ feed is filled with hilarious musings from a man who has never been afraid to tweet his mind.
Featured tweet:
Lord give me the strength ????????
— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) June 24, 2016
Who: At just 18, the daughter of NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham is ready to make her mark on the rest of the world in the high jump.
Follow for: For the most part, Cunningham tweets about normal teenage girl things and posts goofy pictures with her friends. But she’s also quick with the reminder that she’s no normal teenager.
Featured tweet:
How can I fall asleep knowing I get to go to whole foods tomorrow morning. #blessed
— vashti cunningham (@vashtizzle_) July 14, 2016
Who: The British diver burst onto the scene in 2012 when he took home a bronze medal in London and is hoping for more in 2016.
Follow for: Since the 2012 Olympics, Daley has become a social media celebrity, sharing videos and tweets about his life and offering “Daley” fitness challenges for his followers.
Featured tweet:
I found a little friend ???????????? pic.twitter.com/JuwiQACrft
— Tom Daley (@TomDaley1994) July 25, 2016
Who: The 24-year-old gymnast is headed to his second Olympics with Team USA.
Follow for: Dalton has already been posting frequently from Rio, giving insider looks at the Olympic Village and Team USA’s Olympic preparations.
Featured tweet:
Athletes from all over ✌????️ #OlympicVillage #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/0UOr0yrAHX
— Jake Dalton (@jake_dalton) August 1, 2016
Who: DiRado won the 400m individual medley, 200m individual medley and 200m backstroke at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials and is looking to make a splash in Rio before she retires from the sport at age 23.
Follow for: While DiRado might not be the most well-known American swimmer in Rio, she’s certainly one of the funniest, offering up tidbits on life as an Olympian and her love of pizza and the Bachelorette.
Featured Tweet:
When people ask @katieledecky the 107x world record holder to take a picture of them. Without her. pic.twitter.com/MtASx2cwI8
— Maya DiRado (@MayaDiRado) July 28, 2016
Who: The world’s top-ranked tennis player recently lost out on his Grand Slam bid at Wimbledon and is looking to get back to winning ways in Rio.
Follow for: The Serbian star always lets his #NoleFam inside his training and his life as a young husband and father.
Featured Tweet:
If you thought babies make the most dirty laundry… In our house, I'm the record holder! pic.twitter.com/gThanhKUvA
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 22, 2016
Who: The New England Patriots safety is skipping out on training camp this year to compete for gold with Team USA’s rugby sevens squad.
Follow for: Ebner uses Twitter to document his journey from Super Bowl champion to gold-medal hopeful. He also is quick to retweet messages of support from his New England teammates.
Featured tweet:
Yaka yard… enough said. #FBF #FinishStrong pic.twitter.com/dw6rQK3zFS
— Nate Ebner (@NateEbner) July 9, 2016
Who: The American sprinter took home three golds in London and figures to add to her total in 2016. She won’t get to defend her 200m title, but Felix still has the 400m, where she’s the reigning world champion.
Follow for: Felix’s feed is chock full of inspirational photos and messages that will make you want to jump off your couch and find those running shoes.
Featured tweet:
Sometimes your only choice is to fight. #TeamUSA ????: @jeffcohenphoto pic.twitter.com/8WJKYBVIeD
— Allyson Felix (@allysonfelix) July 4, 2016
Who: Franklin captured America’s heart as a 17-year-old swimming sensation in London, where she won four gold medals. This time around, she’ll compete in the 200m freestyle and 200m backstroke.
Follow for: Franklin obsesses over typical 21-year-old girl things, like getting her nails done, as well as her quest for more gold.
Featured Tweet:
????–>???????? pic.twitter.com/AVACEP27Sf
— Missy Franklin (@missyfranklin) August 1, 2016
Who: The San Antonio Spurs star is suiting up with Argentina for his fourth Olympics.
Follow for: Ginobili has an excellent sense of humor and often pokes fun at himself and his Spurs teammates
Featured tweet:
#ThankYouTD for this too! Didn't last tho… pic.twitter.com/UQ5HoYXecX
— Manu Ginobili (@manuginobili) July 13, 2016
Who: The 19-year-old is untouchable in the pool and is about to take the world by storm. Already a gold medalist as a 15-year-old, Ledecky will be going for four more as she tries to continue her domination the long-distance events.
Follow for: At the time of this post, Ledecky has just shy of 41,000 followers. That number is sure to grow exponentially after Rio.
Featured tweet:
Thank you to everyone for the support this week. Excited to be heading to Rio with @USASwimming @TeamUSA!
— Katie Ledecky (@katieledecky) July 3, 2016
Who: Lloyd led the U.S. Women’s National Team to its first World Cup since 1999 last year in Canada and hopes to have another victorious summer in Rio.
Follow for: Lloyd isn’t shy about her appetite for gold, but also loves to joke around with her USWNT teammates.
Featured tweet:
You talkin smack about me???!!! @Ashlyn_Harris @alikrieger ???????? pic.twitter.com/0RCx04dJKF
— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) July 23, 2016
Who: The 11-time Olympic medalist is back and ready to roll in Rio, where he’ll compete in the 200m individual medley and the 4x200m freestyle relay. Jeah!
Follow for: Lochte is sure to post about his exploits in and out of the pool.
Featured Tweet:
New look…. Here We Go #Rio #2016 thanks @jennjonesatl #turnup https://t.co/A9ZOFz9h8k pic.twitter.com/k7aGDk3YRC
— Ryan Lochte (@RyanLochte) July 31, 2016
Who: The 30-year-old fencer is set to make history in Rio, becoming the first American to wear a hijab, a traditional Muslim headscarf, in Olympic competition.
Follow for: Muhammad shares updates from her inspiring Olympic journey to her 15,600 followers, like what it’s like to train during Ramadan.
Featured tweet:
Generations of black children can now unconsciously graft their aspirations. Thank you @BarackObama ???????? pic.twitter.com/BbmUTG8oYX
— Ibtihaj Muhammad (@IbtihajMuhammad) July 27, 2016
Who: Expect the 24-year-old Brazilian soccer star to be one of the most popular athletes in Rio as he tries to guide the host country to Olympic gold.
Follow for: Neymar’s road to Rio has been paved with plenty of selfies showing off his outfits and tattoos and videos of his skills for his 23.7 million followers.
Featured tweet:
— Neymar Jr (@neymarjr) July 12, 2016
Who: Phelps could have hung it up after winning his 22nd gold medal in London, but the most decorated Olympian of all time is jumping back into the pool to add to his impressive collection.
Follow for: Though Phelps has become more active on Instagram, he still uses Twitter to chronicle his journey to his fifth Olympics and life as a new dad.
Featured tweet:
What a great quote!! ???? https://t.co/tZQCqC1RDw
— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) February 7, 2016
Who: The American shooter is aiming for history in Rio as she vies for her sixth medal in her sixth trip to the Olympics. And she’s still just 37.
Follow for: One of Team USA’s most experienced Olympians is also one of its most tweet-happy, frequently giving insights into her training.
Featured tweet:
Out training today with both my main and back-up guns for #Rio2016 ! #goingforgold pic.twitter.com/EguMkedqDG
— Kim Rhode (@KimRhode) July 28, 2016
Who: Fresh off her 22nd Grand Slam singles title, Williams is heading to Rio to defend her Olympic singles gold. She’ll also look to win another doubles title with her older sister Venus.
Follow for: Williams has taken a fond liking to Snapchat and Instagram, but Twitter is where she records candid, behind-the-scenes videos for LeBron James’ company, Uninterrupted.
Featured tweet:
LIVE: @SerenaWilliams poolside.https://t.co/u9UdgoOPKa
— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) July 29, 2016
